NVIDIA nTeresting Newsletter – 9 September 2013

NVIDIA nTeresting Newsletter – 9 September 2013

In this issue

· At Gamescom in Germany and PAX Prime in the US, gamers all over the globe threw down. NVIDIA was there with a one of a kind ecosystem of gaming goodness.
· NVIDIA SHIELD keeps the positivity flowing with a new killer app, more good reviews and tons of titles. Now you can see inside your SHIELD.
· A new Tegra 4 Super phone hits the market in China.

Global GeForce Game-O-Thon

This week saw two of the biggest gaming events in the world. PAX Prime in Seattle, Washington and Gamescom in Cologne, Germany. And NVIDIA was at both events, showing a little gamer-love and letting them experience gaming nirvana with the hottest PC and Android games.

Gamescom is the world’s largest gaming event with over 340,000 visitors from 88 countries. NVIDIA had a flood of gaming guests on the stage in our booth including presentations for: Batman: Arkham Origins, Call of Duty: Ghost, Planetside 2, Watch Dogs, Witcher 3 and many more.

“Long story short, this is brilliant news for PC gamers and NVIDIA card owners in general as these upcoming games will offer a great experience for them on the GeForce cards.”

The booth featured a small form factor section with NVIDIA Titan GPUs running Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag and Splinter Cell Blacklist.

“We had a chance to see GTX Titan in action in new Splinter Cell, running in 3840×2160 resolution, max details, without a single issue or stutter (I think that every gamer would love to have it at home, correct?). We tested SHIELD gaming device and its ability to stream PC games. For their Titan, NV won BAM award, so warm congratz!”

Gamescom was a testament that it is a great time to be a PC gamer.

“At the NVIDIA booth, it was proven again: Even with the release of new consoles, the PC remains the measure of all things: The PC version of Assassin’s Creed 4 is far better than the PS4 version. The textures are better, smoke and particle effects are on another quality level and the water appears is much more complex. And: There is anti-aliasing. NVIDIA’s anti-aliasing technology TXAA is implemented in the game.”

On the Android front, Gamescom attendees got some hands on time with the NVIDIA SHIELD.

“I’d like to tell you about the most pleasant surprise of the day, Project Shield by NVIDIA. This is a very interesting device that features top notch hardware and a concept that is a hybrid between an Android based console and a device for streaming of PC games. In both cases Shield performs great and does not show any lag.”

Meanwhile across the pond in Seattle NVIDIA was out in full force at PAX Prime, a celebration of all things gaming. We offered attendees three unique experiences.

First was the booth, which featured the hottest PC and Android games. Top new PC games were shown, including Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Dying Light, The Bureau: XCom Unlimited, Command & Conquer: Generals 2 and many more. Gamers also had a chance to play their favorite Android games on SHIELD, including Dead on Arrival 2 THD, Chuck’s Challenge, Virtua Tennis, Choplifter THD, Flyhunter: Origins and a ton more.

“One of the new pieces of technology I was excited to finally get my hands on this past weekend was NVIDIA’s SHIELD handheld gaming system.

I first tried out the PC streaming feature with Bethesda and Arkane Studios’ first person action game Dishonored. The first thing I noticed was how light the system was. Sure it has a built in screen for portable play but the main body of the system felt almost as light and comfortable in my hands as my Nintendo 3DS XL.

Gameplay was smooth and seamless like playing Dishonored on my laptop with a controller but I found myself ignoring the large LCD monitor for the computer on the wall display and focused solely on the SHIELD’s touch display screen”

The star of the show was Batman: Arkham Origins, which will be bundled with GeForce GTX cards.

“NVIDIA is working with Warner Bros. to make Batman: Arkham Origins a pretty PC game. Their Developer Technology Team has been working with WB Games Montreal to work in all of their gaming tech to make this game look great, including DirectX tessellation, TXAA antialiasing, soft shadows, PhysX effects, and more. They’re also working out a deal to give those buying an NVIDIA GPU a free copy of the game when released this October. Free!

We also sponsored the GeForce eSports World of Tanks Grand Finale event which was won by Team Na’vi of Russia.

“Na’Vi preformed beautifully Sunday night. Na’Vi felt that they “have the best team, [and] the best captain…” Despite missing players and shortened practice time, with the superb leadership and meticulous attention of de1uxe turned the tide; proving once again that they are Natus Vincere, “born to conquer.”

Monday saw an NVIDIA-hosted stage show with lots of giveaways and a chance to show off 4K gaming. NVIDIA is effectively creating a one of a kind ecosystem for gaming.

“Once again NVIDIA has shown a look at the future without limits and slowdowns, through recent technologies like Cloud Computing and Cross-platform, towards a constant evolution of entertainment and gaming devices, in favour of an even more realistic and exciting gaming experience.”

Inside SHIELD

Reviews of SHIELD keep coming up roses.

“I will miss my Shield when (NVIDIA) takes back its test unit from me sometime soon.

I’ve grown attached to the curiously shaped, handheld Android gaming console the more I use it. It may look a bit funky, but it works great and feels right, from its retina-quality touchscreen to the built-in Xbox 360-like controller.”

The PC streaming feature of NVIDIA SHIELD has proven to be the killer app.

“I’m sitting on my couch, feet up on the coffee table. My children are bouncing all over the place as Sesame Street’s Elmo dances around the television set. Not normally relaxing situation, but I’m playing the latest Devil May Cry on my computer in the next room — I might as well be there. This is the Shield’s finest moment.”

And NVIDIA SHIELD now has its own top ten list.

“So you’ve taken the time to digest our NVIDIA Shield review, you’ve plumped up the courage (and the cash) to import one from the States and you’re patiently waiting for it to arrive.

So you’re probably wondering what games you’ll download first. Allow us to help, with our collection of the ten best games for the fledgling system.

This is a selection of top-notch titles that show off the console’s gaming controls, and some good, old-fashioned entertainment to sweeten the deal.

Want to know what makes SHIELD so awesome? A team of explosive experts tear down NVIDIA SHIELD to see what makes it run. Check out the fireworks, and see what’s inside in slow motion glory.

Tegra 4 Powering Xiaomi Mi3 Super Phone

Xiaomi, China’s hottest phone manufacturer announced that its newest flagship super phone – the Mi3 – will be powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 4 mobile processor. With a slim 8.1mm body and a 5-inch 1080p screen the Mi3 is visually stunning. Sharp aesthetics aside this thing is an absolute beast at heart with Tegra 4’s first foray into the smartphone market, 2GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel camera, up to 64GB of on-board storage, and a massive 3050mAh battery.

Available on China Mobile next month, the Mi3 is an exceptional value with one outlet pointing out that owners will receive, “Tegra 4 and top-shelf specs at half the price.”

The buzz isn’t stopping there. Check out what others in the media are saying about the Tegra 4-powered Xiaomi Mi3:

“If the Mi3 handles anything like SHIELD did for us, it could be the Android phone to beat on the test track in the coming weeks.”

“Winning a slot with Xiaomi MI3 is a relatively big deal, even if Xiaomi’s slice of the Chinese market isn’t very large yet… We’ve written a lot about Tegra 4, and got a chance to look at performance in the NVIDIA Shield review and came away impressed with performance in that platform.”

“The Xiaomi Mi3 is a very slim 8.1mm handset that features a 5-inch 1080p display and the latest Nvidia Tegra 4 chip with amazing graphics capabilities and 2GB of RAM.”

“What does (Tegra 4) mean for the Mi3? Well, top-notch gaming and always-on HDR photography are at the top of the list.”